Advocates striving to end homelessness will be gathering in communities across Ontario — including in Barrie — this weekend in an effort to bring awareness to the worsening housing and homelessness crisis.
The March To End Homelessness is part of a provincial day of action to bring awareness to the worsening housing and homelessness crisis across the country. It is scheduled to take place in Barrie, London, Hamilton, Timmins and Kingston on Saturday, May 25.
Locally, the event is being hosted by Ryan's Hope, a charitable organization which “advocates for and supports people living with mental illness, substance use issues and experiencing homelessness.”
“This provincial day of action is in response to a growing number of people experiencing homelessness and local governments' punitive response to dealing with encampments in our communities," stated Ryan’s Hope founder Christine Nayler in a news release. "We are gathering to bring awareness to this growing emergency and to hold (the) government accountable.
“We are calling on all levels of government to work collaboratively to uphold the human rights of unhoused citizens and for them to begin addressing this nationwide crisis by taking action to begin implementing the recommendations of the Federal Housing Advocate's Final Report," she added.
Participants will meet at Spirit Catcher at 10 a.m and are scheduled to march through the downtown core before ending the march at Heritage Park where they will gather for speeches, a call to action and a community picnic.
“There is no us and them. There is only us and we are stronger together,” Nayler stated. “Neighbours marching together is how we build community.”
The group's “call to action” includes:
- Ending forced encampment evictions
- Respecting the inherent rights of Indigenous people
- Upholding human rights and giving people respect
- Offering people permanent housing options as rapidly as possible
- Addressing the root causes of encampments.
For more details about the event, click here.
